Definition of usualnext
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usual

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word usual distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of usual are accustomed, customary, habitual, and wonted. While all these words mean "familiar through frequent or regular repetition," usual stresses the absence of strangeness or unexpectedness.

my usual order for lunch

How is accustomed related to other words for usual?

Accustomed is less emphatic than wonted or habitual in suggesting fixed habit or invariable custom.

accepted the compliment with her accustomed modesty

In what contexts can customary take the place of usual?

The words customary and usual are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, customary applies to what accords with the practices, conventions, or usages of an individual or community.

the customary waiting period before the application is approved

When could habitual be used to replace usual?

Although the words habitual and usual have much in common, habitual suggests a practice settled or established by much repetition.

a habitual morning routine

When is wonted a more appropriate choice than usual?

The words wonted and usual can be used in similar contexts, but wonted stresses habituation but usually applies to what is favored, sought, or purposefully cultivated.

his wonted determination

How is the word usual distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of usual are accustomed, customary, habitual, and wonted. While all these words mean "familiar through frequent or regular repetition," usual stresses the absence of strangeness or unexpectedness.

my usual order for lunch

How is accustomed related to other words for usual?

Accustomed is less emphatic than wonted or habitual in suggesting fixed habit or invariable custom.

accepted the compliment with her accustomed modesty

In what contexts can customary take the place of usual?

The words customary and usual are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, customary applies to what accords with the practices, conventions, or usages of an individual or community.

the customary waiting period before the application is approved

When could habitual be used to replace usual?

Although the words habitual and usual have much in common, habitual suggests a practice settled or established by much repetition.

a habitual morning routine

When is wonted a more appropriate choice than usual?

The words wonted and usual can be used in similar contexts, but wonted stresses habituation but usually applies to what is favored, sought, or purposefully cultivated.

his wonted determination

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of usual
Adjective
Those strolling around downtown Dallas this weekend might have noticed more tails, claws and snouts than usual. Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 29 Mar. 2026 The Masters released its broadcast schedule for the April 9-12 tournament, which offers its usual full menu of viewing on its digital platforms. Doug Peterson, AJC.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
Ebonē Colbert ordered her usual on her weekly trip to Wendy's with her son: a kid’s meal with a plain cheeseburger for him and a Dave’s Single, a burger topped with lettuce and tomato, for herself. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2022 On the first day back, Evans ordered his usual: a single cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2022 See All Example Sentences for usual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usual
Adjective
  • The potential ground operation would reportedly fall short of a full-scale invasion but could involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the officials were quoted as saying.
    Dylan Butts, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
  • But its conventional naval power looks severely degraded, while Western allies retain strong minesweeping capabilities that could be deployed to keep global trade flowing.
    Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The mall resumed operations as normal following the shooting, as police determined there was no threat to the general public.
    Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Waymo vehicles also can take 30 minutes to wait for and twice as long as a normal ride.
    Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Cheap, ubiquitous and always on, cameras are uniquely useful targets.
    Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Netflix became ubiquitous as a subscription product, while YouTube became the go-to platform for younger (and then increasingly older) viewing habits.
    Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Like his perceptive doc about Joy Division, Everybody Digs Bill Evans is about the ordinary that feeds the extraordinary and leaves us to figure out the rest for ourselves.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
  • At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Saturday’s wind forecast for Camas Prairie, Idaho.
    Ruby Mellen, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Friday the players got their rings, and as customary, this year’s were more elaborate than the last.
    Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Antonelli is so young he was denied the customary Champagne at the podium celebration for being under Japan’s legal drinking age of 20.
    Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Games that still are too typical of the NCAA women’s tournament where the higher seed seldom loses.
    Mac Engel March 31, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Food and drink At first glance, Harriet’s Rooftop & Lounge seemed like a typical NYC rooftop—the kind of place where views take priority and food is an afterthought.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Steeped in international cinema, Haghighi has since taken familiar tropes, forms, and genres and bent them in new directions.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
  • So California may be readying to wage a two-front battle — the familiar one against smog, but a second, altogether new one, against an administration determined to let California get smoggy again.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Semenya, who was assigned female at birth in South Africa and has high natural testosterone levels, won a European Court of Human Rights judgment in her years-long legal challenge to track and field's rules which did not overturn them.
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Sweeney Bell had a tepid response, however, to a recent controversy in which dozens of local Democrats were kicked off the ballot for breaking an Indiana Democratic Party rule.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Usual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usual. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

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